Fake Smiles
by Meagan Snow
Summary: Skipper notices that something is wrong with Private, but he doesn't realize that it's because of his treatment... NO SHIPPINGS besides a hint at MarlenexSkipper ONESHOT (though I plan to expand on their backstories later) My first PoM fic, so let me know if it's OOC!


**Hey everyone! **

**This is just a little thing that came to my head a few days ago. It's most likely horrible, but I thought I'd put it up anyway. **

**I hope nobody but Private will be too OOC here (Private is meant to be) because I actually only watch Penguins of Madagascar in Polish, so I'm gonna be tracing a speech and behavior patterns from there. **

**Speaking of which, I do NOT OWN PoM or Madagascar or the Penguins themselves. **

**I only own Alice. She's my personal slave. **

**Well, that's enough of my mouth flapping, let's get to the chapter :)**

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"…PRIVATE! WHAT is the meaning of this?" Skipper shouted at the youngest member of their little team.

"Yes, Sir!" Private jumped and saluted, snapping to attention.

"Can you explain to me, HOW EXACTLY did SHE get through our defenses?" He jabbed a flipper toward an impatient Marlene.

"Through the _door_, Mr. Paranoia." The otter snapped. The penguins looked at each other in shock. Marlene could get a little irritable at times, but this time she really seemed furious about something.  
"I need to talk to you." She continued, addressing the leader of the group.

"Talk away." Skipper made an impatient gesture.

"_Alone_."

"…" Skipper weighed his options. On one flipper, he was in the middle of teaching the team a new routine, Battle Position Nine. On the other, Marlene looked livid.  
"At ease, team. I'll be back in a jiff. Keep practicing."

As they retired to a separate corner of the penguins' cave, Marlene never took her eyes off of Skipper. That look boded no good.  
"It's about Private." She said, as soon as she was sure nobody could hear. "There's something wrong with him."

"Private? He's just fine, normal as ever, darling."

"Come on. You know you don't believe that." Marlene gave him a piercing look.

Skipper cast his eyes at the concrete floor of the bunker. It was true. Something _was_ wrong with Private.  
He had been looking terrible lately, and even if none of the other penguins had noticed, Skipper had. He was obviously trying to hide it, and pretend everything was all good, but Skipper had noticed that when he thought nobody was looking, he dropped his usual optimistic demeanor and let his shoulders slump inwards, hanging his head,  
He didn't speak to anyone anymore, not alone anyway. When spoken to, he answered his usual happy tone but there was something almost… defeated in his eyes.  
"Yes, I've noticed, but Julien's gods as witnesses, I have no idea what the hell is wrong with the boy."

The otter in front of him snorted. "Is it that hard to get something though your thick penguin skull? You're way too hard on him, Skipper, it's obvious."

"Nonsense, darling, it builds character. It's a tried-true technique. I used the same approach for Kowalski and Rico when they were recruits, and look how well they turned out."

"Yeah, _brilliant_. Listen, Skip, he's doing his best to impress you, and all you do is shout at him for it, you understand!" She was obviously barely willing her voice not to rise. "You're forgetting the boy is _seventeen!_ You know what... just... Just _tal__k _to him, okay?"

"What? No! That's ridiculous! I don't _talk_ with my-"

"Tonight, one night with your headphones off. Make sure Kowalski and Rico wear theirs. Talk. To him."  
With that, Marlene gave him one last look, turned on her heel, and left, leaving Skipper incredulous.  
"Yo, darlin'! You can't just- MARLENE!"

He turned back to his team, still steaming.  
"What did Marlene want?" Kowalski asked.

"Nothing… nothing." He said, his professional demeanor returning. "She was just complaining about all the noise we were making. Alright, gentlemen, from the top. Left top! And right under!"

_~~Night~~_

Private shivered on his bunk, trying to stop the tears from spilling down his cheeks.  
He had give his blanket to Kowalski to cover his new invention a couple days ago and he didn't have the courage to take it back.  
_It's no problem,_ he had smiled when the latter asked him if he needed it. _Keep it as long as you like._

It really was cold in that cave. He wrapped his flippers around himself, shivering from the cold. At least that kept him from dwelling on the past day.  
Too much.

It was his birthday. Nobody had cared to remember. Nobody had cared to ask.

It was just like every other day.

Miserable.

Every day, he gave his all, worked hard even when the others slacked off, practically drove himself to exhaustion, and every day, it was never enough.  
Always, Skipper was there to tell him to try harder, to do it again, to do it better. He never saw that Private gave everything he could give, he always shouted at him for not doing his best.

Private choked back another sob that rose to his lips. _What do I have to do to make the cut?_  
Today, the others had taken Skipper's back being turned as an occasion to slack off. He was the only one who kept working on what he had told them to. And later, Skipper had told him he was disappointed, that he was doing the whole thing entirely wrong.  
_I tried,_ he had wanted to say. To make him see. _I tried, I really did._ But instead, he had saluted and nodded cheerfully, proceeding to repeat the exercise.  
Again.  
And again.

He hated himself for it, but more and more often he found himself resenting Skipper for not appreciating him.  
_No. Stop it. It's your fault. There's nothing to appreciate. You're not trying enough. Lazy and worthless.  
I can't try any more. I can't do any better. I just can't.  
Too bad. You have to. Or you'll always be worthless._

The tears were falling in streams now. He couldn't stop them if he tried. He hid his face in his pillow, his body wracked with sobs.  
_Stop it. You'll wake the others.  
Stop._

Suddenly, he felt a warm weight descend around him. He jumped up, his head smashing into the stone top of his bunk and fell back down, scrambling to turn around,  
He was met with the face of none other than Skipper himself.  
"Thought you might need this more than me." He smiled, hopping up on the bunk next to Private, who quickly wiped the tears off of his face.

"I-I-… t-thank you, sir!" he stammered, taken aback. His every instinct told him not to accept, but he was so cold… Maybe only for a few minutes…

"Listen, Private, I just wanted to let you know…" Skipper seemed to hesitate, "…I just wanted to let you know how much your effort means to me. And… if it ever seems like I'm working you too hard, or not appreciating what you do, know it's because I can see that you are destined to great things, and because… Because if I'm ever unable to lead, it's you who's going to have to take charge... And... happy birthday, Private."

His gaze softened as he did something he had never done- pulled the younger into a protective hug and waited patiently, letting Private cry until he had cried himself to sleep.

He placed him on the bunk gently, and his hardened heart twisted in guilt as he gave him one last glance, before returning to his own bed.

Skipper didn't sleep for a long time that night, his mind plagued by feelings of guilt.  
Marlene had been right after all. He hadn't actually intended to follow her orders, but something touched him and he didn't wear his headphones that night,  
When he heard the silent sobs, he knew she had been right, and he felt horrible not only for being wrong, but to what he had been doing.

He realized what he had forgot.  
Marlene was right, he was still a boy. He shouldn't have let him onto the battlefield and treated him like a soldier.

Memories of his own childhood came back to him. Orphaned by poachers, only luck had saved him from meeting the same fate.  
He had taught himself to survive. Alone, yet surrounded by so many others of his kind.  
When the zoo had first gotten him, he had been Private's age in body and twice that in heart.  
And it hurt him, it really did, to know that he was doing the same thing to another.

It was funny, really, how much the two were alike. Both orphaned. Both alone.  
The difference was, the latter's parents had died of disease at a zoo. Private had been shipped to theirs for safekeeping and had since then stayed.  
It struck Skipper how much he envied him.  
Really.

He made a silent oath to protect Private from meeting the same fate as his own.

Whatever it takes. Starting now.

_~~Several days later~~_

"And left up! Right down, and to the side. Wonderful, gentlemen, take five."

He placed a flipper on Private's shoulder, stopping him before he went to sit with the others.

"And good job, soldier" he whispered with a wink.

The silent thanks shining from the boy's eyes spoke for themselves.

"Go on, don't waste your break. Because SOON, YOU'RE ALL GOING BACK TO WORK! Lively, now, gentlemen!"

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**I hope you liked it! **

**Review? For the sake of happy endings?**


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